Railway says new traffic pattern wouldn't be disruptive

Dan Petrella

Tuesday

Mar 25, 2008 at 12:01 AMMar 25, 2008 at 11:51 AM

A proposed railway purchase has come under fire from local and national leaders due to the increase in train traffic it would bring to towns in western DuPage County and other suburbs, but the railway looking to make the purchase is promoting the fact that it would result in fewer trains running along its existing lines.

A proposed railway purchase has come under fire from local and national leaders due to the increase in train traffic it would bring to towns in western DuPage County and other suburbs, but the railway looking to make the purchase is promoting the fact that it would result in fewer trains running along its existing lines.

Canadian National Railway announced in September its plans to buy the Elgin, Joliet & Eastern Railway for $300 million from U.S. Steel Corp. The railroad has said the acquisition will connect its existing Chicago area lines, allowing some freight trains to bypass the congested rails running in and out of the city.

For towns along the EJ&E line, including Bartlett, Wayne, West Chicago and Warrenville, the purchase would mean a sharp increase in the number of trains traveling along the tracks each day.

Officials in these towns, along with U.S. Rep. Peter Roskam, R-6th District, of Wheaton and U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., have said that this would place an unfair burden on the communities. Among the concerns are traffic congestion, pedestrian safety and the environmental impact.

For towns like Carol Stream, Glendale Heights, Villa Park and Elmhurst, which are located on an existing Canadian National line, the purchase would mean fewer trains traveling on the tracks each day, according to the railway.

“Of course, the communities along the EJ&E arc would experience an increase in train counts, but the traffic volume and resulting crossing delays are not in any way out of the ordinary,” the railway said in a written statement. “CN’s operating plan for the EJ&E would put an additional 15 to 24 trains per day on the EJ&E line. By comparison, a number of communities inside the EJ&E arc have for a long time coexisted harmoniously with rail lines carrying more than 100 trains per day.”

Officials in towns along the existing Canadian National line running through northern DuPage County have a mixed reaction to the railway’s attempt to show the benefits of the EJ&E purchase for their communities.

Carol Stream Village Manager Joe Breinig said the village does not have an official position on the acquisition because it does not have much of an effect on the town. His office does not receive many complaints about the number of trains on the railway, he said.

“For the lack of complaints we get now, I don’t know that we’d want to see other communities burdened so that we can pick up a few less trains,” Breinig said. “In a perfect world, you’d like to see a solution that benefits everyone.”

Elmhurst City Manager Tom Borchert said transportation issues that affect the entire region need to be evaluated by looking at the big picture.

“On the macro scale, the positives outweigh the negatives,” he said.

Elmhurst dealt with heavy freight and commuter train traffic along the Union Pacific Railroad by building an underpass at Palmer Drive near downtown, and communities along the EJ&E line might need to take similar steps if the acquisition goes through, Borchert said.

Canadian National has pledged $40 million to help communities offset the increases in train traffic, but officials, including Durbin, have said that is not enough. Most of the burden would still fall on communities and taxpayers, they have said.